Omar Aougab '19 Recruiting Profile

    I have been passionate about running since I was in second grade when I ran a 7:21 in the mile, and since then I was determined to beat my older brother's time of 4:19 in the 1600 meter in high school. As I grew older I became stronger and faster and by the time I got to fifth grade I was able to run a 6:40 in the mile. When I started running track my freshman year I was about an 8 minute mile, but through hard work, I was able to cut my time down to a 5:55 mile. I was still a lot slower than my friends but this was the fastest I had ever run and I knew I was improving. One month later I had secured myself a spot on the varsity team by running a 5:09 in the mile. Getting my varsity letter that season motivated me to run cross country for my sophomore year, and I worked hard the entire summer. I started that season off with a 19:57 5k and finished it with a 17:39, and this improvement was my motivation for training the entire winter for outdoor track. I ended off my sophomore track season with a 4:39 in the 1600 meter and a 2:05 in the 800 meter. By the end of my junior year of cross country I had a 16:21 5k, was team MVP, was all-conference and all-region, and after getting injured halfway through my season I was slowly recovering for indoor track. I ended up being district champ in the 1600 meter, region champ in the 3200 meter and all-state in the 3200 meter. For my  junior outdoor track season I was 4:24 in the 1600, 1:59 in the 800, district and region runner-up, and all-state in the 1600 meter. When I was captain during my junior year, my team was able to grow to being one of the largest teams in the area with close to 150 athletes through my leadership and the team's success.

I've always taken school very seriously, and it shows in my 4.18 GPA and my 1410 SAT score. Academically I prefer math classes and always challenge myself in subjects that I am interested in. Most recruits have a lot of talent and patience in running which is why they are so good, but I believe I set myself apart from the others in my work ethic. In general when I have set my mind on something I will do whatever it takes to get it done to perfection, and running is something I have my mind set on. I have a real passion for this sport which is why I love working so hard at it. My friends always ask me how I was able to improve so much in such a short amount of time, and I tell them it's because I work harder than anybody else. When they ask how is your work ethic so good it's because everything I do to improve in running doesn't feel like work. I love taking care of my body, getting stronger and getting faster which is why I don't see this sport as work, I see it as me getting better at something I love.

    I came into my team as one of the slowest kids and through my work ethic I became the leader. And just like in high school, I may not be the fasted kid coming into college, but just like I did in high school, I plan on improving more than anyone else and eventually be one of the best at the collegiate level no matter what it takes.